THANK YOU for visiting Margin: Exploring Modern Magical Realism. Our efforts would be in vain were it not for the tens of thousands of people around the world who visit our pages. We're gratified to meet what is obviously a critical need globally for students, writers, educators and publishing professionals invested in the preservation of world literature and free expression.

Margin, the anthology/website, is produced through the volunteer efforts of two stay-home mothers, a retired hypnotherapist/community college instructor, a graduate student in Virginia, a PhD candidate in New York and an independent scholar and writer in Toronto. And let's not forget our nomadic book reviewer, the high-school student who helped type in work that couldn't be scanned, and the other friends and cohorts who've lent their free time to assist in promotions.

None of us are paid, though I often give the Toronto staffer American stamps as remuneration, and staffers get coffee and treats from Seattle during the holidays!

Aside from having in common an affection for the ideal of "art for art's sake," we're all in this together because:

we know (from your feedback) that we're offering something of value to people all over the world

we believe the small and/or electronic press is the best place for developing a global community of writers

we want to make a difference

we understand the foundation for good karma

we wish to satisfy our creative drive

we enjoy the sense of accomplishment that Margin offers us with each new edition

we act out of an urgent need to preserve this very special literary form

We are pleased to offer Margin as a literary clearinghouse, free of cost to readers around the world, so that anyone with access to the Internet and an inclination can learn about, enjoy and edify the value of this intriguing world literature.

Our operating costs are small. Small enough that it seems hardly worth it to register as a nonprofit, for such low overhead (a distinct advantage to electronic publishing). However, our operating costs do not include compensation to our contributors. (The only exception is our contest winners; their prizes come straight from the collection of entry fees.) Everything we publish is otherwise donated from writers willing and eager to share their work with the rest of the world.

We'd like to pay these writers. In order to establish a small fund for them, we recently adopted a sponsorship program. However, most interested parties are on skinny budgets themselves (the small press, individual writers, arts organizations) and are not always able to come up with funds for even our more affordable options. By adding contests and creating a fundraising 'zine, Periphery, in 2004, we've generated a seed fund for achieving the goal of compensating our writers.

By offering compensation, we not only reward creative minds and efforts. We also gain more visibility in market guides and become a more attractive destination for more writers. Promise of even a small honorarium is an incentive for many fine writers. Other established writers feel the need to work only for publications that compensate them in order to maintain their professionalism. Some folks simply need the cash, however small the compensation. Also, book reviewers (specifically) are hard to attract without an offering of compensation. We'd like to create a pool of reviewers (our review wishlist grows ever longer!), but it will be difficult without such incentives.

Compensation for contributors will be established retroactively starting in 2005, going back to those first faithful writers at the beginning of 2000. Because our funds are still lower than we can budget for a modest honorarium (of, say, $15 for an original story), it will be at least a couple of years before we can catch up to Now, unfortunately.

We've decided to turn to other folks for help in funding our contributors. With smaller donations from subscribers, supporters, friends, family, educators, arts groups, etc., we could expedite this process and bring our payment schedule to the present.

This is where you come in. We're not seeking huge amounts of philanthrophy here (though such offers wouldn't be turned away!). If people were to send in $10 it would make a heap of difference, and it sure would make us feel better. All of us on the staff are also writers; we understand the constant battle to earn a living wage as writers, even as we understand that literary publishing, print or electronic, is a fickle business, economically speaking.

All monies collected as donations would be applied toward the Contributor's Fund; leftovers would be used to offset production costs (postage, office supplies, promotional and event costs). What we can't cover with the Contributor's Fund we will continue to pay out of pocket ourselves.

All donors will be acknowledged in the anthology following this structure:

Revelers

~ friends of Margin celebrating our efforts ~ donations of up to $20

Alchemists ~ friends of Margin assisting with resource generation ~ donations of $21-$50 ~ Alchemists receive a free copy of the current Periphery!

Miracle Workers ~ friends of Margin investing in our vision ~ donations of $51+ ~
Miracle Workers receive a free copy of the current Periphery, plus a complimentary copy of any future printed, Best of edition of Margin (our goal is for 2010 ~ please inquire for details)

TO DONATE:
You may do so by mail or directly to the publisher.

To donate by mail: Send check or money order for $ amount of your choice in US Funds, payable to Tamara Kaye Sellman, to:

To donate directly: Donate $ amount of your choice directly to Margin agents at special events and appearances. (How do I find a Margin agent? Visit Tamara Sellman's event calendar or the Margin blog to determine upcoming events in your region.

There are also some specific projects toward which donors can dedicate funds. These project "adoptions" are one way to help us to meet our goals. Please contact us directly if you are interested in assisting with these projects.

For $200, you could adopt our entire book reviewers' pool for an entire year (ten reviews from five reviewers, at $20 per review published), for instance. A donation of $100 can cover the cost of a single prize for either the poetry or fiction contests. The $50 prize for Periphery's annual contest is another way to build the Fund. You can also select a favorite author at the website and pledge to sponsor them. Simply send a note with the name of the author and $20 per each poem, story or other work they've contributed, and do let us know if you'd like formal acknowledgment. We'd then list your name as the official sponsor on all of your "adopted" pages, and forward your money directly to them.

Special acknowledgments for donors participating in these specific "adoptions" will be discussed at the time of donation.

To acquire a copy/copies of Periphery: One other fun way to help is to buy one or more issues of Periphery, our annual collectible edition print 'zine. We've received rave reviews of the 2004 edition, "The Living Landscape," for both content and production. It makes a great gift for fans of prose poetry/flash fiction or 'zine collectors. If you buy the 'zine from us live and in person, it's $5; online and mail orders are $6 to recover postage and handling.

You'll need to purchase your copies of this latest 'zine by July 31, 2005; it will be retired on August 1st! I recommend purchasing sooner rather than later; copies are going fast. Three-fourths of the money collected from the sale of these print 'zines covers the cost of production and the $50 winner's prize, which means that the remaining quarter goes right into the Contributor's Fund.

Thank you for your consideration, for your interest in magical realism and for your support of emerging, imaginative literature. Your donations and good wishes help writers and the small press in immeasurable ways.

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